


The Sunflower State

by Foxgrrl42



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-24 07:53:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7500177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxgrrl42/pseuds/Foxgrrl42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So I was like practicing my hand to hand, right? This big guy comes up wanting to fight I think. Prolly the biggest on the compound or whatever. Kinda hot too. Had these sexy tattoos and I was like ‘I’m totally gonna do this guy later’”</p>
<p>“Kansas,” South said rolling her eyes. “Get to the fucking point.”</p>
<p>“C’mon South,” North said “You don’t know. Maybe whether or not Kansas actually does this guy is an important part of the story.” </p>
<p>“It isn’t” Kansas replied. “But I totally did.”</p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>In the early days of Project Freelancer Kaikaina Grif (AKA Agent Kansas) joins the program, but what the fuck is someone like Kai doing in Freelancer? Florida is determined to find out.  </p>
<p>After the episode "Why They're Here" everyone has been wondering if Sister, Caboose and Donut might actually be Freelancers. I thought it would be interesting to explore that idea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“So I was like practicing my hand to hand, right? This big guy comes up wanting to fight I think. Prolly the biggest on the compound or whatever. Kinda hot too. Had these sexy tattoos and I was like ‘I’m totally gonna do this guy later’”

“Kansas,” South said rolling her eyes. “Get to the fucking point.”

“C’mon South,” North said as he sat down next to his sister “You don’t know. Maybe whether or not Kansas actually does this guy is an important part of the story.” Kansas hadn’t been on the Mother of Invention long, but she knew enough to know that North was the friendly Dakota twin. The four of them sat around a table in the lunchroom. Her, the twins and another Kansas didn’t know the name of.

“It isn’t” Kansas replied. “But I totally did.”

South snorted.

“Anyway,” Kansas continued. “The guy was no problem for me. I mean I’ve taken way bigger in bars back home.”

“Are you talking about sex or fights?” South asked.

“Both” Kansas winked at the big burly guy poking at the jello on his lunch tray. He glanced up in her direction and then went back to the jello. Not much of a talker, huh?  
“I knocked him down on the matt in like 3 seconds. K.O.ed! Wooh!” Kansas pounded her fist in the air, but the rest of the table held no response. The most she got was a weak smile from North. Clearly this wasn’t that kind of environment. If this was the case Kansas didn’t notice. “Then this other guy came up. You know that guy we have around? The one that acts like he’s polite and old, which is gross, but he really isn’t. Kinda creepy.”

“Uh, you mean the Counselor?” North offered.

“Yeah, that dude! Like I said, creepy, but he had enough Xanax for both of us, so he was cool I guess.”

“Yeah…” North said. “Wait what?”

“He was all like ‘Hey, you’re really good at beating the shit out of people’’ Kansas said “and I was like ‘Hell yeah I am!’. Then he said, ‘Want a job?’ and I said ‘Sure’ and now I’m here.”

“That’s it? No tests? No excessive advancement courses? ” South asked, agitated.

“Um” Kansas said “No?”

“Seriously?” South incredulously and stood up from her seat. “Do you have any fucking idea how hard I’ve worked to get into this program?” She slammed her fist on the table, jostling their trays. “How hard we’ve worked?!” The burly guy eyed South warily and North put a hand on her shoulder.

“Sis,” he said “It’s fine--”

South shrugged him off. “No North, it’s not fine! In the past not just anyone could get into Project Freelancer. Now suddenly after that Georgia asshole decided to get lost, any soldier who can throw a punch gets a slot!”

Yep, as Kansas had found the Dakota twins were more so walking contradictions to each other rather than siblings. North had the caring qualities that his sister needed and South was the brutal force that her brother simply didn’t have. It was like that pilot lady said (what was she called again? 476? 497?) when Kansas first arrived.

_Everyone here is pretty alright for people who kill other people for a living. Long as you don’t start any fights they should be fine. Except for South. South is a bitch._

“Calm down, kiddo” North said but he instantly regretted it.

“Kiddo?!” South shouted. “I am 3 minutes older than you. You need to stop treating me like a fucking child and face the fact that we’re being screwed over here.”

“Sis--” North tried once again, but South was having none of it.

“Fuck this” She stormed out of the dining hall, kicking over a chair or two in her wake. Course North and South weren’t complete opposites. Both of them were blonde and both of them were hot. Kansas didn’t mind watching South walk away one bit.

“Sorry” North picked up the tray South left behind. “She’s under a lot of stress.”

“PFFT, her? Don’t worry it’s cool” Kansas confirmed. “She’s nothing compared to my mom with a circus booze hangover.”

“Right…” North replied. “Anyway me and Maine are gonna do some sparring down in the fitness room. You’re welcome to join us.”

“No offense dude, but no thanks” Kansas declined. “As much as I’d totally love to body slam a couple of buff guys” A pause in which Kansas muttered ‘hot’ underneath her breath. “I think I’d rather stake out the booty here.” She gestured to the Freelancers roaming the dining hall. “I saw this red head earlier who was like so my type.”

“Alright, but be careful. That one bites.” North and the big burly guy, who Kansas assumed was Maine, left the table.

“Is this reverse psychology or some shit?” Kansas called after him. “Cause now I just want her more!”

North shook his head with a chuckle, but ultimately kept walking.

Kansas took a couple more bites of her shitty lunchroom turkey burger and was about to get up from her seat before she heard a voice from across the table.

“I liked your story” the voice belonged to a slim man in ODST armor. Kansas hadn’t noticed him sit down. If he’d been quiet enough to slip past her that easily she wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d never snuck by in the first place. Perhaps he’d been sitting the whole time with Kansas entirely unaware of his presence. Needless to say, she was a bit startled.

“Jesus fuck, skinny guy!” she exclaimed. “You scared the shit out of me!”

“You have my sincerest apologies” The man casually peeled a banana he’d picked up from his tray. Oddly enough he was still wearing his helmet.  
Kansas wondered how he expected to eat a banana through his visor.

“As much as I enjoyed your tale, especially the bit with the Xanax, I still am a bit curious” he said.

This guy made her uneasy, but Kansas didn’t really react accordingly. Her response to a bear was to poke it. In the ass. With a dildo. She leaned in. “Dude, what’s your deal? You’re like sneaky and shit, which is kinda sexy, but like also sorta scary. Are you a pedophile? That’s weird. Is your name Butch? You seem like a Butch. That’s a pretty pedo name.”

“I’m so sorry, Agent Kansas. Did I not tell you my name? I must be losing my marbles today” he said, setting the banana back down. The man had a deep calm voice that dipped and rose like the ocean at low tide. “Well, due to those pesky regulations I’m afraid I can’t tell you my real one. Florida will have to do and I must say. It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you Kansas, I’m sure we’ll be spending a lot of time together.”

“Yeah whatever” Kansas said. This Florida guy was starting to bore her. Not so much because what he was talking about was boring, which it was, but because his voice was so calm and soft that it was enough to put her to sleep. It wasn’t soothing per say, but rather sedating.

“As for my curiousity” Florida replied as he picked up the yellow fruit once again. “Despite my lack of fondness for South Dakota I have to admit she is partially correct, but partially all the same. The director hasn’t begun allowing new recruits in willy nilly. This program is just as coveted as it’s always been. Everyone is here for a reason. If this wasn’t the case--” Without warning Florida smashed the banana into the table with a splat, sending gooey chunks flying everywhere. Kansas jumped in her seat out of instinct. Florida continued his statement “Us Freelancers wouldn’t last long, would we?”

“I don’t think you’re doing bananas right” Kansas said. “Those things are basically just for eating and sex ed classes that can’t afford cucumbers. Not for intimidating newbies.”

“Well, look at that, you caught me red handed.” Florida laughed. “I like you, Kansas. I really do. I think we’ll get along just fine, but the question still remains. If everyone is here for a reason, do you know yours? I hope you don’t take offense to this” Florida said with fake candor. “But you don’t seem like much of a soldier, of course, looks can be deceiving. Personally I’m not one for suspense, so let's cut through this deception, whether it be intentional or not. What is your purpose in this place? Why are you here?”

“Uh, I’m pretty good at beating the shit out of people?” Kansas questioned. “I don’t know. I can do a pretty cool trick with a ping pong ball.”

“Alrighty, looks like you haven’t yet figured it out for yourself” Florida stated. “Perhaps we should rewind a bit farther. Why did you join the UNSC in the first place?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several months in the past, Kaikaina Grif contemplates the rut she's found herself stuck in.

Sometimes Kaikaina got sad.

Not all the time. Mostly in those quiet times in the early hours of the morning. Those times when the party had dissipated and everyone, but her, had fallen asleep. The quiet always made her feel more alone than she technically was. Loneliness in her opinion didn’t come from a lack of people. You could live in a big bustling city and still feel lonely. No, it came from having no one to converse with.

Talking was a big part of human existence. People used it to voice their opinions, make others laugh, even put an end to wars, but most of all it was used to drown out a person’s own thoughts. Thinking was a big part of human existence too, but too much time alone with your thoughts could make you spiral into an existential crisis. Kind of like the one Kai was on the verge of right now.

She let out a deep sigh and looked out her open window.  Outside the soft early morning breeze swayed through the palm trees. A few people were still inside from last night’s party, one or two passed out on the ratty old couch and another rummaging through her fridge. Come to think of it she didn’t remember him from the party. Maybe he wasn’t one of the party goers at all, but a burglar stealing her food. Either way, jokes on him! She hadn’t bought groceries in …. Wait fuck she needed to go shopping later.

The picture of her brother taped to her bed post scowled at her with his perpetual frown. He would never have approved of her empty fridge.

Dexter never smiled in pictures when he knew they were being taken. He was kind of an asshole that way. If Kai wanted to have any pictures containing her brother’s grin she would have to sneak them. She loved those pictures the most. They were probably the best physical reminder of her brother she had, but she didn’t have many of them. The few she had she hid underneath her bed so they were safe from careless ravers and spilled alcohol. Kai pulled them out and sorted through them. She smiled warmly at the one of Dexter playing guitar by the campfire they used to have in their backyard. She remembered the night this took place. The embers of the fire dancing in the shadows and Dexter’s singing wafting into the cool night air.

His absence felt like a slow pulling at her heartstrings. It made her chest ache. How long had it been since he was drafted? Couldn’t have been more than eight months, but it felt like forever.

While Kai’s depression didn’t occur often, when it did it was hard to shake. It would stretch for days, weeks even, but she’d found ways to postpone it. She’d read somewhere that exercise made you feel good. Had to do with endorphins or something, so she did a lot of that.

She swam when she could. This was hawaii, so it wasn’t like she needed to find a public pool. She set entire days aside where she would go to the beach and swim all day long. Sometimes she took friends, but most of the time she went alone and met new people on the shore. Kai never had trouble any making friends.After the sun set on those days and she was sick of swimming, she’d find a loua to crash somewhere else on the beach and get totally wasted.

When Dexter still lived with her things were different. Her bursts of depression were a lot less lengthy and were even farther apart. After he left she did what she could to fill the hole he’d left behind. She did this with people mostly and threw a hell of a lot of wild parties. What could she say? It was therapeutic. Plus dancing was exercise too, so like, win, win, right?

Of course she could never seem to escape those empty early morning times. Kai put her brother’s picture back in the box and put the box back under the bed. She was tired of being sad. It was time for a run.

Her main method of exercise was running. Beach days were an alright system, but she couldn’t do it all the time. Not with her part time job and all. This she could do anywhere and it didn’t require an entire day. When she felt the tug of anxiety or gloom, she’d put in her earbuds and run out the door like she was being chased because when Kaikaina ran something happened. She’d get caught up in the rhythm of foot hitting pavement and her music. The more she ran the better she felt, like a heavy weight she didn’t even know was there being lifted. Anyone who said that you can’t run away from your problems had never tried.

Kai walked down the hall towards her bathroom, her barefeet slapping the wood floor that was sticky with the heat. She stepped over her friend Cindy, who was propped up against the bathroom doorframe sleeping away the hangover. Cindy must have passed out pretty early because someone had taken a Sharpie and drawn a surprisingly accurate picture of nyan cat on her forehead. She was going to be _pissed_ when she woke up.   

Kai looked herself in the mirror. Damn, she looked like a mess. A _hot_ mess, but still a complete mess. Her makeup was in disarray, her hair was a jungle of knots and tangles and there was apparent dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep.

The hardest part about going for a feel-good jog was forcing herself to leave the house. Kai knew that in the grand scheme of things this would help her get past her bad mood, but it took more effort than it should. There were times she didn't even want to get out of bed, but she knew that if she didn’t get out now she may never get out at all.

_Fuck depression_ she thought. She narrowed her eyes at the mirror.

“Hear that depression? You’re my bitch” she said aloud. “You can suck my imaginary dick.”

“Kai” Cindy groaned. “Who the fuck are you talking to?”

“Nobody I guess” she replied. “I’m just motivating myself by telling my emotions to suck a cock. You know, boring shit like that.”

“Isit working?” Cindy asked lethargically.

She shrugged one shoulder “Kinda.” But Cindy had already fallen back asleep before Kai even answered. 

Kai wiped off her day old makeup with an old wash cloth and brushed her hair. There was nothing she could do about the dark circles for now. She changed into some new clothes and laced up her shoes. Then turned up her running tracklist and she was off.

Kaikaina never understood why her brother hated running so much. It’s not like it was hard. Sure it could be a little daunting at first, but once you ran down the first road you just took a turn and repeat. She never paid attention to what roads she went down or which way she turned. By the time she would stop, she’d look up and often find she had no idea where she was. She had to ask siri how to get back home and then bum a ride off a stranger or one of her friends. Sometimes she was just a neighborhood over and other times she was several towns over. It was an adventure within itself. One road at a time, one turn for road, repeat. If she really wanted to she could do this forever.

But today was different.

For whatever reason it wasn’t working. She just couldn’t get the right pace and she haphazardly switched speeds. One moment she was going at more of an easy jog and then suddenly going close to maximum speed. She forced herself to slow down and collapsed on a bench. Kai remembered what happened when she ran too fast and refused to make that mistake again. The night after Dexter left she ran so hard that she blew out her knee.

As she sat there catching her breath, she couldn’t seem to push away this horrible feeling. Something was telling her that running just wasn’t enough anymore. There was this fear that she just couldn’t pull herself out this way, not this time. She knew she was terrified for no real reason, but she couldn’t bring herself to get off that bench. She didn’t have it in her to run down that road and take another goddamn turn. Kai was in a rut and she knew it too. It was time for something different. Time for a change.

Then suddenly, like a switch going off in her head she had the answer. Why the fuck hadn’t she thought of this before? It was so obvious. She let out a laugh that was a little too loud and smacked her forehead with the back of her palm in disbelief. People nearby gave her quizzical looks, but kept walking past.

With renewed enthusiasm and vigor she sprinted home, thoughts bouncing back and forth through her head at rapid speed. Like she said before there was a huge fucking hole in her life, but she’d been trying to fill it with all the wrong stuff. Yes, she needed to run away, but she’d been going about it all wrong. When she got back to her place she burst through the door waking up the people on her couch. 

“Hey, assholes!” she shouted. “Get the fuck out! I got an army to join!” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Agent Florida searches for information and what he finds is perplexing.

Agent Florida took a seat in front of one of the many computer screens placed throughout the Mother of Invention for easy access and stretched out his arms in front of him.

“Hello, Agent Florida” FILSS the ship’s onboard operations AI greeted him. “How may I be of assistance today? Would you like me to play your yoga relaxation music? Or perhaps you would like to play one of the many digital games that Agent York has stored on my data banks?”

Florida smiled. “Thank you very much FILSS that’s very kind of you to offer, but that won’t be necessary” he said. “Instead I would like to access everything the agency has on Agent Kansas.”

“Hmm” FILSS said as a sign of concern rather than a sound indicating she was stopping to think. “I was afraid you would say that. As you know Agent Kansas has been assigned to accompany you on all of your foreseeable missions beginning at the end of the month, so it would make sense that you would like to know more about your new partner” another pause. “But it says here that you don’t have high enough clearance to access all of her file.”

“Is that so?” Florida said, his smile faltering for a brief moment. “Well this’ll make doing my homework just a tad harder than I originally thought.”

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience” FILSS said apologetically. “Are you sure you would still like me to pull it up?”

“If it’s not to much trouble that would be just swell” Florida replied. “Thank you FILSS I hope you have a pleasant day.”

“You’re welcome, Agent. I wish the same to you.”

Then Florida put on his reading glasses and began his research.    

 

_Project Freelancer Agent Portfolio #43_

_Code Name: Agent Kansas_

_Real Name: Kaikaina Grif_

_Medical Records:_

_Agent Kansas is in top notch physical condition judging from various standard fitness tests that have been run on her for admittance to this program. With excellent stamina and endurance she surpasses most if not all agents of her weight and stature. Further tests have shown_ **[[REDACTED]]** _Multiple trials on different equipment proved that this was not in fact a system failure, but the actual results. After_ **[[REDACTED]]** _that it was due to a_ **[[REDACTED]]** _disorder that_ **[[REDACTED]]**.

 

It would seem that Florida’s good friends in management felt the need to hide a few key details about Kansas’s health from him. Florida chuckled. Those secretive rascals, always so coveted. What was all the rigamarole about a “disorder”? Curiouser and curiouser.  

 

_Kansas’s medical history shows that she suffered a head trauma in early life that resulted in Cerebral achromatopsia, a type of acquired color blindness that renders the subject with little to no ability to see color. For those who may be concerned, Kansas’s Cerebral achromatopsia fortunately shouldn’t affect field operations if proper communication and instruction is applied._

_Agent Kansas also suffers from Bipolar Disorder*, which she takes medication for and has proven to be relatively stabilized._

  _* see “Psych Evaluation”_

_Specialized Skills and Abilities:_

_Unlike most Agents in Project Freelancer Agent Kansas hasn’t received much field training other than the Basic Military Training all U.N.S.C. soldiers receive. This unfortunately limits her capabilities as an agent exponentially making her extremely under qualified for her current position._

 

So he was right about her not being much of a soldier. If this was the case why didn’t they put this newcomer through more training before assigning her to him? She would be nothing, but a liability.

 

_However she has shown some natural, albeit unconventional , talent in hand to hand combat. Seeing as she has taken opponents twice her size using her surroundings to her advantage, it could be said that she has potential._

_Her_   **[[REDACTED]]**   **. _This could be used_ **[[REDACTED]]** _and could even be enhanced if_   **[[REDACTED]]** _making Kansas a very valuable asset._

 

“ _Valuable asset_ ?” Florida questioned under his breath. “Odd considering the same report called her _extremely under qualified_ only two paragraphs before. Whatever this is about sure must make her one special snowflake.”

“Affirmative” FILSS agreed. 

 

_While what follows may not be considered a “skill” it still should be noted. Various witness reports from her former regiment have recounted that Kansas has often come back from very dangerous and seemingly inescapable situations unscathed. For example; she reportedly was seen falling off a cliff with a lethally long drop, only to return to her base several days later with no injuries, but with unexplained pregnancy and a new tattoo depicting a flying blue tiger._

_She was also at one point taken hostage by rogue aliens threatening to kill her if their demands weren’t met. Their demands on the other hand weren’t anything Kansas’s regiment had the ability to offer up, so it was assumed Kansas had been killed by her captors. This proved to be false when Kansas returned once again, in a drunken stupor this time and no memory of her kidnapping when she sobered up the next day._

_Many other reports include similar instances involving Kansas, but none were fully explained. All these unusual occurrences may be attributed to sheer dumb luck on Kansas’s part, but they may also imply that she has other assets that have yet to be fully explored._

  _** see “Medical Records”_

_Psych Evaluation (Conducted By Aiden Price):_

_After_ _thorough examination of Agent Kansas’s psyche I have come to the conclusion that she is one of the more … interesting personalities I’ve had the opportunity to evaluate. At a glance Kansas comes off as a carefree, reckless teenager, when in reality she is a deeply troubled individual. She was clinically diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder at the age of thirteen and has been on medication ever since. From what I have seen of her, the medication appears to be working, but some symptoms still remain, like periods of depression and some very mild manic episodes. So mild in fact that they can be hard to pinpoint._

_Whether she is aware of it or not Kansas goes to great lengths to hide her disorder, using various devices to distract and mislead whoever she may encounter. Her loud and somewhat disruptive persona and sometimes flirtatious attitude serves as a sort of cover. I have to admit that even I was briefly fooled for a time, but when she climbed on top of my desk to show me her so called “ping pong trick” I started to suspect._

_Despite all this I must say that her overall outlook is actually pretty positive and I found it quite refreshing in comparison to a lot of the other agents under my care. Unlike a lot of other personalities attempting to avoid inner turmoil her’s doesn’t use defense mechanisms such as sarcasm. She simply appears as a harmless, somewhat clueless girl with a joyful disposition and a large disregard for personal space and social cues. I feel she should be a good edition to the Freelancer Team’s morale and I predict many agents will take a liking to her. This will hopefully build the strong sense of union that most groups within Freelancer have been missing._

 

Well good old Counselor got that part right. She is a peach, Florida thought. A weird little outspoken peach with mental issues and a liking for innuendos.

 

_While Kansas’s cover can be pretty convincing I’ve noticed some holes in hints she occasionally drops that imply she has a history of alcoholism and drug abuse. She at one point during our conversation asked if she was going to give her any Xanax even though this drug wasn’t included in her prescription now or anywhere throughout her medical record. Her abuse was most likely a byproduct of avoiding her depressive periods. She also talked about using exercise to make herself feel better, which I commemorated her for as a healthy way to battle her negative mood swings._

_Kansas didn’t mention any close relations outside of Freelancer besides her brother of whom she discussed with me at great length. From what I gathered Kansas’s brother was a rather supportive influence in her life that was lost when he was drafted. After this she seemed to spiral into a rather unhealthy lifestyle. Drinking excessively during her depressed periods and partaking in risky behaviors like drug experimentation and reckless sex during her manic periods._

_Why she enlisted in the army seems rather unclear to me. There is a possibility she did it to be closer to her brother or that it was a sudden rash decision during one of her manic episodes. Either way I think the routine and regulations of military protocol has given the direction her life lacked previously and that it has had a positive impact on her overall health. Now that she’s a part of Freelancer she will finally have the opportunity to make something of herself that she couldn’t do before._

 

The file ended there.

“That’s all?” he said. “No, no, with all those pesky redactions this read only raised more questions.” Florida stood from his chair.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t have been of more assistance” FILSS told him.

“Oh, it’s perfectly alright, FILSS” Florida smiled. “I know it’s not your fault.”

“What’s your next course of action Agent Florida?” FILSS asked.

“I’m gonna have a little chat with the big man himself” he answered. “Maybe he’ll be nice enough to tell me what the gung ho is going on with this Kansas character.”

“Of course” FILSS said as Florida walked off. “Good luck” she added.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some time in the future Kaikaina Grif reunites with her brother in Blood Gulch, but something is bugging her.

The next time Kai saw her big bro he wasn’t happy to see her. When she heard his unmistakable deadpan voice she squealed with excitement and gave him a huge hug that knocked him off of his feet. It’d been literally _years_ since they’d seen each other and she’d flew across the whole damn galaxy just to see him, only to be greeted with “Go home. Go home right _now_.”

Some welcome that was.

It wasn’t long until Dexter warmed up again. Metaphorically and literally. They were in some kind of desert canyon, so it was sweltering hot outside.

He let her stay with his valley dwelling troop for about a week. Prolly the best week she’d had in a really long time.

All of the other people on his team were pretty weird. There was the team leader who she was sent there to replace. Her assignment said he died from an aspirin overdose. As if his cause of death wasn’t peculiar enough he was also very active for a dead guy. Still running around the base, still giving orders and still lovingly cleaning his shotgun. She was pretty sure she caught him whispering to it one day. Pedro he called it. It was nicknamed Pedro. The reportedly deceased commander of a secret military base nicknamed his primary firearm Pedro. Weird, but also still very much alive. Kai eventually came to the conclusion that he was just one of those dead people who wasn’t actually dead, but only said they were to get attention.

There was this nerd guy who Dexter argued with a lot. His name was Simmons. More than often she'd find them on the roof of the base talking about whatever inane thing crossed their minds. It was kind of cute in a way, the back and forth they'd perfected for however long they'd been in that dirt hole of a canyon. It wasn't a nice back and forth. Insults flew and bounced off their backs too dull and overused to make a mark, but they must be into it because they engaged in it so often. Those two bickered so much she wondered if they were married. If this was the case she was confused as to why she’d never gotten any wedding invitations. Dexter knew how much she loved parties. Had her asshole brother gotten married and didn’t hire her as the DJ? If so there would be hell to pay; a specific kind of hell that only could be administered through the relentless torment of younger siblings. 

There were also two other members that she hadn’t met yet. Some guy named Donut that she hit with her ship when she landed and another, some robot or something and nobody knew where he was. Kai didn’t particularly care that much. She was just happy to be living with her big bro again.

One day she sat down next to him beneath the shade of a large rock he was leaning against. He was smoking a cigarette and watching the puffs of smoking float up and eventually disappear into the hot desert sky.

“Can I bum a cig?” Kai asked.

“No” Dextor said.

“Why nooooot?” she whined.

“Cause they’re bad for you.”

“So what?” she reasoned. “They’re bad for you too and I don’t see you” a pause “ _not_ smoking.”

He smirked. “Nice comeback, Kai.”

“Hey, don’t patronize me, hypocrite!”

“Oh, fuck off.”

“That’s what a hypocrite would say, hypocrite!”

That sat there quietly there for a moment watching Simmons and bury the not-dead guy. Despite the fact that the eccentric man obviously hadn't died, they decided to proceed with the funeral anyway. Only Kai, Simmons and Dexter were there to attend. 

“How long until he realizes we’re not digging with him?” Kai chimed in.

“We’re safe for now” Dexter said. “Those digging noises I made earlier fooled him I think.”

“I can hear you!” Simmons shouted from the grave he was filling.

“Yep, he doesn’t suspect a thing” Dexter added.

“I’m ten feet away, asshole!”

Dexter continued to ignore him and flicked his cigarette into the grave. There was an angry grunt that came from the hole presumably from the man inside it. Something about this whole situation bugged Kai.

“Isn’t weird that he isn’t dead?” she asked.

“I think it’s pretty weird that _I’m_ not dead" Dexter told her. "I mean I survived all these crazy Freelancers, which was pretty unexpected alone.” Hearing the word freelancers gave her a strange sense of deja vu, but for the life of her she couldn’t think of why.

Dexter continued “But I thought at least _Sarge_ would’ve killed me by now.”

“About that” Kai replied. “He’s not all like I thought he would be. Besides the not dead thing, I thought he would be a lot nicer. Thinner too.”

Dexter looked at her funny, like the very idea of Sarge having ever been nice was alien to him.“Why?”

Kai shrugged.

When she first heard about the officer’s death she had a very clear picture of him in her head. A tall skinny man with a deep calm voice that dipped and rose like the ocean at low tide. This made sense to her at the time and she fully expected to be true, but now she was having second thoughts. Why would she have such a strong ideas about a random dead(ish) guy she’d never met? The man in the grave clearly didn't fit that description. He had a rough voice that was like sandpaper on … Well more sandpaper and while he certainly wasn't fat his build was much more stocky. There was no way he could be described as thin.

Thinking about it too much gave her a headache, but she was having a hard time letting it go. It was like trying to remember something after blacking out the night before. That always made a hangover worse.

They sat there like that for a little while longer. Kai pushed the thought away for the time being and looked over at her brother. A wave of love and affection for him came over her and she couldn’t help but smile. She scooted a bit closer and wrapped her arms around his neck in another hug. He awkwardly patted her on the back, like he was a tad embarrassed. Who he felt embarrassed in front of Kai could only guess. 

Simmons looked on at the scene and tried, rather unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh. Grif looked pretty silly with the girl hanging off him like that. 

Grif flipped the other man off over Kai's shoulder. She was entirely oblivious to the exchange taking place out of her line of sight.  

“I missed you” she said.

“I know you did” Dexter said. “Sorry I left.”

“PFFT no biggie. I know you didn’t want to.”

He sighed “Yeah…” Dexter finally properly returned her hug by putting his arms around her middle and give her a tight squeeze. Whether he would admit it or not Grif had missed his little sister fiercely. Even if she was a complete idiot for following him into this stupid war. Even if she wasn't safe by his side. Even if he knew he couldn't let it last. He was happy that they were together again.

“Hey, Dex?” she inquired after she pulled away.

“Yeah, Kai?” he said, lighting another cigarette.

She glanced up at Simmons and then back at Dexter. “You’re not married are you?”

He coughed on his own smoke. “What? Why would I be married?!”

She giggled at her brother's expense. “I’ll explain later.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back on the Mother of Invention, the Director of Project Freelancer conferences with a necessary evil.

Florida strolled into the observation deck where the Counselor and the Director spent most of their time. Thick as thieves, those two. Before he entered he heard a voice that was neither the counselor’s nor the director’s.    
“Yep the calculations look good” it said. “Should I prep for--” but the director quickly cut it off when he saw Florida come in. 

“Log off, Alpha” he said.

“Yes, sir” the voice replied. 

The counselor folded his arms and stood beside the director. “Hello, Agent Florida what brings you here?”

Florida laughed a slow and slightly disingenuous laugh “Oh, gentlemen no need for unnecessary questions. We’re all good friends here, are we not?”

The director and the counselor exchanged glances before the director spoke “Yes, we’re all friends here” his southern drawl couldn’t mask that he didn’t exactly mean what he said. The director didn’t  _ make _ friends, not with men like Florida. The director was a practical man. He believed that there were many necessary evils in this world, Florida amongst them. There seemed to be no end to the things he was capable of doing with a smile on his face. Many of which weren’t pretty. No, one didn’t befriend monsters, but monsters made the most powerful of allies. The director finished his statement “It’s true we had a feeling you’d pay us a visit, so I ask you to take your own advice. If you have something to say, then say it.”

“Don’t get me wrong, fellas” Florida said. “I’m pleased as punch that you’re having me work with a partner again, but it’s this particular girl you’ve assigned me that has got me worried.”

“And why do you feel this way, Flowers?” the counselor asked. 

Flowers now, was it? Florida wasn’t so sure he liked the counselor’s use of his real name. They had code names for a reason.

“Now I don’t mean to be rude, but she’s very inexperienced” he told the other men. “Why do want an operative out with me in the field if she’s untrained and doesn’t possess any of the necessary skills  _ I  _ need to succeed? I can’t have rookies running around willy nilly on my missions. Could you at least give the poor girl more training first?”  

“That’s the exactly the idea” the director said. “We want you to administer Agent Kansas’s training. We have the utmost confidence in your abilities as a teacher as well as an agent. We’d like you to work with her on station for a month before taking her along with you on scouting missions.” Florida’s normally soft grin turned to a thin straight line, indicating his displeasure. A great deal of skills were listed on his resume. Some of which were combat, interrogation, knitting, excellent back massages, creative methods of torture, deep breathing exercises, and stealth, but babysitting? That wasn’t one of them. 

“Sir, I feel honored that you would pick me for such an important task” he forced another smile “Children are the future, after all, but I fear this child might just get in my way.” He paused to flick away a spec of dust that landed on the gun strapped to his hip. “Nobody wants that. I don’t mean to toot my own horn here, but quite frankly I have bigger fish to fry than--”

“Agent Florida, you are quite out of line” the director sternly interrupted. 

Florida new enough to fall silent and allowed the director to speak. 

“Georgia's disappearance has caused  _ all  _ of us a great deal of remorse. I understand that finding out what happened to him is one of your highest priorities, but a personal vendetta is no reason to talk back to your superior. I expected  _ you  _ of all people to know that.” 

Florida gritted his teeth at the very mention of Georgia, but the grin plastered on his face didn’t falter. There were very few things on this earth that could make him angry. The director may have hit a nerve but it would take a great deal more than what the he was dishing to get a visible rise out of Florida.

“Alrighty, don’t worry director, we’re surfing the same wave.” He tilted his head and in a still questioning manner. “Could you at the very least get me in the loop on the redacted info in my new student’s file? She must be very important if you’re classifying her portfolio a few days after recruitment. Whatever you’ve got on her could be vital to her training.” 

The counselor stepped forward to protest, but the director stopped him.

“It’s alright, counselor. He’s right about this much” the director held his arms behind him and started pacing. “You see, Agent Kansas came from very meager beginnings as a sim trooper, incompetent as all the rest. Things went about as well as they normally do when you place the most under qualified soldiers in a military base at a stalemate with other soldiers in the same situation. Not much to show for. It wasn’t until Kansas’s team leader began timing the laps his troops ran that our interest peaked.”   

“Why’s that?” Florida asked. 

“She was wasn't only faster than all of her teammates, but she reached speeds of 20-25 mph and could keep those speeds steady for longer periods of time.” 

Florida shook his head “That's very impressive, but hardly groundbreaking. The fastest recorded time a nonenhanced person reached was faster than that.”

“We would’ve believed so too, but it was her attitude about her skill that caused us to investigate further” the director said. “When her speed was mentioned she was very casual about it, claiming it was ‘no big deal’. At first it was thought she was just being humble, but no matter how much the other soldiers pestered her about it she continued insisting that she’d accomplished very little, even to the point of agitation She didn’t  _ believe  _ she was putting any real effort forth, so we began to wonder what happened when she did.”

“That’s quite a hunch you’re running with there, sir” Florida replied. “Wouldn’t it be more likely that she had a bad case of low self esteem?”

The director stopped pacing and looked at the other man. “You’ve  _ met _ Kansas, have you not?” He raised an eyebrow. “Do you  _ really  _ think she suffers from such an affliction?”

Florida thought back to the chipper girl boasting of the man she’d beaten to a pulp and then later engaged in sexual relations with. No, he couldn’t say that he did. 

“She refused to put effort into it, so we did it for her” the director said. “We had a freelancer install speedometer in her armor while she and the other troopers slept and we then started placing her in life threatening situations that forced her to run faster than she’d ever ran before.”

“And what did you find?”

The director smiled for the first time throughout the entirety of the conversation. “She didn’t just beat the highest human speed ever recorded, she left it in the dust. Hitting speeds past 45 mph. What was her highest again?”

“52, sir” the counselor answered. 

Agent Florida beamed, as if proud of his newly appointed apprentice. “My, my, what a surprise! And to think I claimed she lacked any real skills. So tell me, how did our little speedster even accomplish such feats? She’s no Spartan secret weapon is she?” He chuckled. “Who knows what those crazy kids are cooking up these days.” 

“Actually, Kansas’s ability derives from a natural deficiency in her muscles” the counselor explained. “Most muscles when used in strenuous activities such as sprinting, they produce a compound known as lactic acid. While a lactic acid buildup is normal it can also cause great discomfort if those muscles are overworked. This is part of the reason humans can only run at limited speeds for limited amounts of time, but probably due to an unusual mutation, Kansas’s muscles don’t release lactic acid.”

“In short the faster she goes the better she feels” the director added. “She gets all the benefits of endorphins and adrenaline without the pain. We actually theorize she could go faster, but her legs wouldn’t be able to endure it. Her bones could actually shatter. That and fatigue are the only things holding her back.”

“I imagine this puts her in high demand” Florida mused. 

“Of course. She was very nearly swept up the ODSTs” the director grimaced. “They wanted to make her a helljumper. Can you  _ imagine?  _ All that talent  _ wasted _ on their little escapades. We did what we had to do. Her unfortunate demise was faked and we hid her away in the very heart of our program.”

“You made her a freelancer” Florida confirmed “and entrusted her to me.”

“I do hope our trust wasn’t misplaced” the director said as an order, not as a comment. 

“You can right as rain trust her with me, dear director” Florida chortled, a fine contrast to what he said pertaining to Kansas at the beginning of their interaction. “Good old Uncle Florida will treat her as his own, a fine addition to the freelancer family if I do say so myself.”

“I assume this means you’re satisfied?” 

“You can bet your bonnet” Florida gave them an enthusiastic thumbs up. “I’m sorry for the intrusion and the mild threats earlier. You know me, ever the informant, can hardly blame me for searching for information. It’s my job after all.” He began walking, no,  _ skipping _ towards the exit.

“Florida” the director said before he left.

“Yes, sir?” Florida asked.

“Don’t tell your other colleagues what we discussed here” a pause. “We wouldn’t want any jealousy sprouting in the minds of our agents.”

“You got it, sir” Florida said, and with that he went out the door.  


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agent South Dakota receives a knock at her door.

 The knock startled South Dakota from her sleep. For a second she sat there in bed and wondered if she dreamt it, but no. There it was again, a knock on her door. Who the hell would bother her at this hour? It couldn’t be any earlier than one am. Even North had the decency to leave her the fuck alone after ten. For a brief moment she allowed herself to think it was a certain girl from across the hall. She wouldn’t do that would she? No, it was probably just Carolina trying to drag her into some late night training session. That girl was far too dedicated for anyone’s taste. South nevertheless drowsily made her way to her door, half hoping to find a particular pint sized brunette on the other side. What she did find, however, was none of those things.

“Kansas. What. The literal. Fuck.”

Kansas stood in her doorway wearing nothing but a teeny tank top and a very short pair of shorts. The shorts had some sort of print on them that was hard to make out in the darkness of the hallway. They had a blue background with some sort of yellow blotches on them. What were those? Flowers? Bananas?

Kansas held up the bottle she was holding. “So I was chillin in my room with this lovely bottle of Peppermint Schnapps and I was like ‘drinking alone is so _boring_ who should I share this with?’.”

South wasn’t sure if she liked where this was going. Who in their right mind would wake someone else up in the middle of the night for drinking purposes? Was Kansas really that crazy? Or did she have some sort of ulterior motive? South was suddenly _very_ much aware of how little Kansas was wearing. When they were back at in the lunchroom they were all in armor so it was hard to pinpoint what sort of body type she had. Now South could see that Kansas possessed a very curvy form that her clothes hugged and hung off of in all the right places. Her cheeks flushed momentarily. No, South wasn’t sure if she liked where this was going one bit.

“So you thought of me?” South asked.

Kansas giggled “Well, duh. I mean who else?”

South could think of several people. Wyoming _never_ turned down booze and York? Let’s just say York probably had fantasies about this sort of thing.

“You’re like the coolest person on this whole damn ship” Kansas added.

Did she really think that? After the outburst South had earlier that day she thought Kansas would probably be avoiding her at this point. South would normally come to the conclusion that Kansas was just trying to make an ally, but the look on her face was warm and unmistakably genuine. There was something childish and reckless about her playful grin, definitely not deceiving. South suddenly made the very conscious decision to take a liking to Agent Kansas. Yes, she decided that she liked her quite a bit.

South smiled. “Okay, I'll buy it.” She took the bottle from Kansas’s hand. “For now anyway.”

“Aw yeah. Achievement Unlocked: Gain Approval From The Hot Dakota Twin.” Kansas jumped up victoriously. “Now all I have to do is plant a dildo in the Director’s desk and I’ll have beat the game.”

South laughed. “That’s not how it works, but hey, whatever pisses off the old man more.” She put the bottle to her lips, trying to take a swig, but frowned when nothing came out. “Kansas, this bottle is empty.”

“Uh yeah. I might have finished that one on my way over here.” She shrugged. “What can I say? I must have been thirsty.”

“You drank the whole thing just now? How are you not drunk off your ass?”

Kansas leaned in real close to South as if she was sharing something confidential. “That’s my secret, captain.” She paused for dramatic effect “I’m _always_ drunk.” If that was true it certainly explained a lot. “Besides, what do you take me for? I’m no lightweight.”

South rolled her eyes. “Then what do you expect us to drink _now_ ?” she exclaimed. “ _Invisible_ alcohol?”

Kansas patted South’s shoulder “Nah, man. I know where to find more.” She began walking down the hall, but stopped when she noticed South didn’t follow. “C’mon South. Whatcha gonna do? Drink _invisible_ alcohol?”

South moved towards Kansas and shoved the empty bottle into her arms “Oh, shut up.”

Kansas grinned and grabbed South’s wrist to guide her through the Mother of Invention’s many corridors. It was quite a few minutes before South realized where Kansas was taking her.

“Why are we going to the landing bay?” she questioned.

Kansas just snickered and put her finger to her lips.

When they reached the entrance to the landing bay a big burly man pushed past them.

“Maine?” South asked the man who was indeed Agent Maine. He was shirtless and his large muscles rippled on his chest and core. The only clothing he wore were his sweatpants and he carried the rest in a bundle under his arm. He turned back at South and gave her a long stare that told her everything she needed to know. To put it simply, South wouldn’t mention that she’d seen him exiting the landing bay at this time of night, not if she wanted to keep her fingers.

She flipped him off as he walked away “Yeah and fuck you too.”

He grunted before turning the corner.

“Oh hey. Its that quiet buff dude from the table” Kansas said. “What’s his problem?”

“Right, I’d know that cause the guy’s always talking nonstop about his _feelings_ ” she remarked. “Or maybe he would if he ever actually managed to say one goddamn word.”

“Yeah, doesn’t say much to me either, but I was the same way after my boyfriend’s house burned down.”

“That must have sucked” South said, thinking of the day there was a fire in her school. Her whole class was devastated afterwards. South just pretended not to care.

“It did” Kansas said. “Being quiet is hard, but they told me I had a _right_ to remain silent, so I figured ‘why not?’.”

Wait, what? South suspiciously gave Kansas a once over to determine whether or not she was joking. She didn’t find any trace that implying Kansas burned down her boyfriend’s house was anything but serious. What South did note in the half decent landing bay lighting was that the yellow blotches on Kansas’s shorts weren’t bananas but tiny cartoon ducklings. South then decided to ignore everything Kansas just said. She had a funny feeling that she didn’t want to find out what a girl with ducky shorts was capable of. Besides, she had no intention of becoming an accessory to arsonry.

The two of them approached the Pelican aircraft, the one that was generally used for Alpha team missions. The pilot, Four Seven Niner walked down the ship’s ramp, her hair in a messy bun. It was probably the first time South had seen her without armor. She wore a tank top stained with engine grease and the bottom half of a standard army vehicle repair jumpsuit. The sleeves of the top half were tied snug around her waist. Even with her armor she was easily the shortest member of Alpha team, spare for maybe Connie, but now without it she looked so small and vulnerable amongst the large landing bay ships. She was like a lonely sparrow in a herd of elephants.

The pilot didn’t seem to notice them at first and made her way down the ramp. Something else was clearly on her mind, but soon enough her quick eyes caught the two girls standing in her ship’s shadow. Her expression changed from deep concentration to extreme annoyance in a snap.

“Oh, hell fucking no” she stomped over to Kansas in a huff. “Kay, do you have any idea what time it is?”

“She calls you Kay?” South smirked at Kansas’s pet name.

The pilot pointed an accusing finger in South’s face “Not a word, barf bag.”

“Fuck you bitch” South retorted. “It was because of your shitty flying that I puked the one time.”  

“More like seven” Niner shot back.

“Guys, you can hate fuck later.” Kansas leaned on South’s side and gestured to the other agent’s scowl. “Me and Southie here need a refill on Schnapps.” She held the empty bottle upside down to emphasize said emptiness.

“Sorry kid” Niner momentarily stopped glaring at South. “The peppermint schnapps is supposed to be for the Christmas party.”

“We’re having a Christmas party?” South questioned.

“I didn’t say you were invited” Niner said.  

“That’s it.” South clenched her teeth and made a move to hit Niner, but Kansas stopped her.

“C’mon guys don’t fight” Kansas pouted. She even stuck out her lower lip to really sell it. South backed off with a grumble and indignantly crossed her arms. Kansas gave her an approving smile. “I mean it’s not like anyone’s going to drink it at the party” she continued. “Who even likes Peppermint Schnapps?”

“You apparently” the pilot pointed out.

“Exactly” Kansas dramatically dropped to her knees in front of Niner. “Please? Could you spare a little bottle for me?” She clasped her hands together and made her best puppy dog face. Niner had to admit, it was a very impressive puppy face. “After all we’ve been through?” Kansas added.

“All we’ve been through?” Niner said. “Kay, honey, earlier today you couldn’t even get my name right.”

“But that was like forever ago” Kansas whined. “I know your name’s Four Eighty Niner, _now_. Isn’t that what actually matters?”

“It’s Four Seven Niner” Niner said, unimpressed.

“Yeah, that’s what I said. Four Sixty Niner” Kansas replied, seemingly unaware of her own innuendo. Niner put her face in her palm.

“You know what?” she said. “Just _Niner_ is fine.”

“Does this mean you’ll enable my alcoholism?”

“No” Niner said.

As a last ditch effort Kansas flung herself at the other woman and tightly hugged her knees. “Pleeease?” she said through the embrace.

Niner looked down at the desperate girl who showed no sign of letting go. There was no escape. She then looked over at South for help. South simply shook her head to show she wasn’t getting involved.

 _On your own_ she silently mouthed.

Niner sighed and slumped her shoulders defeatedly. “Okay, okay, I’ll let you have _one_ bottle,” she said, “but only because you’re new.”

“Yay!” Kansas cheered and gave Niner’s knees an additional squeeze.

“And only if that one behaves” Niner said, staring expectantly at South.

“South pleeease?” Kansas turned her puppy dog face to the other agent.

 _Oh god it burns,_ thought South painfully. Kansas whimpered and widened her eyes further. South couldn’t take it anymore.

“No promises” she finally said.  

“Close enough” Niner said in reply and struggled under Kansas’s strong grasp. “Now get off. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

When Kansas released her grip Niner lead them into her ship, where she revealed a stash of Peppermint Schnapps and other assorted adult beverages in the overhead compartment. There was also an ancient CD player and a stack of Beyonce CDs. South raised an eyebrow at Niner with this discovery.

“What?” the pilot said, defensively. “Everybody loves Beyonce.”

“Some more than others” South mumbled as she shoved a random album in the player.

The three of them sat against the side of the cockpit passing the bottle back and forth. South grimaced at her first sip of Schnapps. Kansas was right about no one liking that swill. It was disgusting. It tasted like a stale Christmas eve hangover. They exchanged stories and tipsy laughter and music filled the pelican.

“So what’s this girl look like, Kay?” Niner asked.

“She’s super hot and badass and she’s got red hair” Kansas chewed on her bottom lip as she conjured the image of the woman in her head. “At least I _think_ she’s a redhead. That’s what the guy who’s ass she totally kicked in arm wrestling said. I can’t really tell with my color blindness.”

“That sounds like Carolina,” South told her.

“And the guy who she beat arm wrestling would be Wyoming” Niner said with a satisfied drink from the bottle. “That match made me twenty bucks richer.” She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and handed the schnapps to Kansas.

“Man, I don’t know _anybody_ yet” Kansas greedily gulped the drink. “I’m gonna learn _all_ the stupid code names and secret agent peeps. Just you watch.” She took another sip and passed the bottle to South.  

“Anyway, the bad news is your lady crush is taken” Niner said. “Not entirely sure why you were pining after her in the first place assuming you value your life.”

“But she’s just _so_ pretty” Kansas said wistfully. “Who’s she with?”

“Agent New York” South reluctantly took a good long swig of the nasty schnapps. Drinking wasn’t about taste anyway. “Everyone calls him York, though.”

“What’s he like?” Kansas questioned a little too adamantly. “Is he hot?”

“Meh” Niner said. “Average white guy.”

“I don’t know” South chimed in. “ _I_ think he’s pretty hot.” Kansas and Niner looked at her weirdly. “What?” she said to the two. “I’m _gay,_ not blind.”

Niner shook her head “Point is your chances with Lina are next to none.”

“Unless--” Kansas started.

“ _No_ , they definitely wouldn’t be interested in a threesome” Niner interrupted. “Well” she paused thoughtfully. “At least _Carolina_ wouldn’t be.”

“Awww” Kansas hung her head, but it popped right back up again as an idea occurred to her. “Unless you guys would be interested--”

“NO” South and Niner said in unison, then looked at each other, bewildered that they said the same thing much less  _agreed_ on the same thing at the same time.

“I get it. I’m just too sexy to handle” Kansas said. “What about you, Niner? Got anybody you like?”

“Me?” Niner replied, straight faced. “No, there’s nobody.”

“Really” South said. She didn’t believe that for one second. “So you’re saying that the boxers we found in the corner are yours?”

“I’m saying that it’s none of your business.” Niner didn’t miss a beat. “You’re one to talk with your not so discreet crush on Connecticut.”

“W-well- I--” South turned beet red. “Shut up.” 

Niner smirked at South's predicament. She was a tab bit of a saddist when it came to the embarrassment of her passengers and Conneticut was a touchy subject with South. 

It all started when Conneticut was first recruited. 

South wasn't a believer of love in first sight. She knew it was hallmark movie bullshit, but when she first laid eyes on Connie she felt ...  _something._ It was South's second month at Freelancer she'd heard about Connecticut. It wasn't until the day _after_ she saw her in the training room.

Covered in a thin layer of sweat and wearing a baggy brown tee Connecticut had stared at the test dummy across the room with determination. She then raised the knife she'd been holding. The way she gripped it made it clear that the knife wasn't a knife but an extension of her arm. It was a part of her. Without a drop of hesitation or warning she'd broken that connection and threw it. The knife landed directly in the dummy's forehead, right between where the eyes would be. As she went to retrieve the knife the woman finally noticed South standing there dumbfounded. South looked at the knife back in it's owner's hand and came to the realization that she could do the same thing to South she'd done to the dummy. She could easily end South's life right there with a flick of her wrist if she wanted to, but she didn't. Instead she pushed her brown bangs from her face and smiled. The smile was perfect, just like the knife throw and it was just for South.

She felt a twinge in her stomach. Or was it her heart?

 _I'm Connecticut._ The woman held out her hand to shake.  _But you can call me Connie, or C.T._

South nervously took it and hoped her hands weren't too clammy. 

_And I'm South Dakota, but all the fuckers round here call me South._

 

“Oh, _please_ " Niner abruptly pulled South from her daydream. "I fly you people around everyday. I’ve seen how you look at her.”

Was she really that obvious? South knew that North suspected her feelings for Connie, but he was her brother. They'd been glued to the hip since birth (metaphorically, thank  _god_ ). She practically  _expected_ North to be able to read her, but Niner? That was concerning. If she knew who else did?

“Oooooo” Kansas giggled. “South and Connecticut sittin in a tree. F-U-C-K-I--”

“Shut the fuck up!” South shouted.

Kansas drew back as if injured “Okay I’ll stop” she said quietly. They sat there in silence for several long minutes. Beyonce sang about love in the background. South regretted her harsh tone with Kansas, but made no move to apologize. She wasn't any good at apologies anyway. 

When the track turned to some sassy dance tune Kansas jumped up from her seat.

“This is my jam!” she cried happily, like the awkwardness that just took place never happened. She began dancing and singing along. Niner and South watched with a strange combination of awe and bewilderment.

Kansas's style of dancing wasn't the most polite of movements. She grinded and swayed her hips suggestively and she moved in an unapologetic fashion that was almost obnoxious. Yet at the same time she maintained a sort of grace in the way her moves flowed into one another seamlessly. She grinned at South and danced away towards the end of the ship. Her hair flew as she spun and she bounced to the beat. Everything about her at this moment conveyed honest, carefree joy.

 _She's beautiful_ South thought.

"You know," Niner startled South from her thoughts. "I was never one for the perky party girl types, but Kansas? There's something kinda likeable about her don't you think? There's something inherently _good_ in her that's hard to ignore."

"Yeah" South agreed. The alcohol was starting to slur her speech a bit and she fumbled for something more profound to say, but couldn't think of anything. 

"Have no idea what she's doing here, though" Niner said. "She's not the usual sort of agent they bring in."

"The most unconventional one for sure" South replied.

Niner laughed. "The slutiest too."

"Hey!" Kansas stopped dancing and walked back over to the cockpit. "I'm not slutty. _You're_ slutty."

"I'm not trying to hurt your feelings," Niner said, "but _you're_ the one who slapped three other freelancer's asses in your first hour of being here."

South cracked up "You're kidding."

"No joke. One of them was Wash, too" Niner bowed her head remorsefully. "Poor kid."

"Doesn't mean I'm a slut" Kansas told them. "I just love  _love._ "

This had South and Niner roaring with laughter. Kansas tried to remain straight faced, but she couldn't help getting carried away in the laugh too.

"Seriously, guys" she said between breaths. She crouched down and pulled the other two girls into a drunken hug. "I love Southie and I love Niner and North and that weird Florida guy and and Carolina and this whole fucking ship. I love you dudes. You don't even  _know."_

This just made all of them laugh harder, which just made Kansas hug them tighter. South felt the a warmth in her chest from the drinking and the laughing. She burrowed herself deep into Kansas's hug and for once she actually thought she knew what North was always trying to tell her. Maybe if she managed to keep this feeling with her she would be able to love everyone too. At the moment, in that feeling of togetherness that Kansas had miraculously pulled together South believed it was that simple.

Eventually Niner kicked them out. South and Kansas stumbled back to their rooms giggling and leaning on each other for support. Neither of them really knew what was funny anymore, but every time their laughter died down they'd share a sideways glance and it would start up again with twice the strength. Once they made it back to South's door they stood there unable to part ways. The laughter came to a halt. 

"So," Kansas looked up at her with wide, bright eyes. "What should we do next?"

South's heart hammered in her chest and she felt an urge to close the space between them "I don't know" she tried to say, but she said it so fast it probably sounded more like _Idunno._ Kansas started leaning into South and she felt her hot breath on her cheek.

"We could--" Her voice trailed off and suddenly they were kissing. It was a wet, sloppy kiss that could only have worked drunk and it did. Kansas was a good kisser even in her current state and she eagerly explored South's mouth with her tongue. Her fingers found South's short choppy hair and ran through it again and again. South let out a moan and pushed Kansas against the wall.

For a moment she imagined it was Connie's small form pushing against her. That it was Connie, not Kansas who was kissing her so roughly, so hungrily. Then when South's hands trailed down below Kansas's waist to give her bum a soft squeeze she made a sound that was so characteristically _Kansas_ that South couldn't pretend she was anyone else. She thought about Kansas's easy smile, her ducky shorts, her dancing, her laugh, how she so quickly forgave all of South's tantrums, and realized that maybe she didn't want to be with anyone else right now. Maybe she had just what she needed right here. South deepened the kiss further. Kansas reacted by pulling away, but only to put hot, unforgiving hickeys on South's neck. South bit her lip so hard she tasted copper.

They continued like that for a long while, kissing and making so much noise that it was a wonder that no one walked out of their rooms to see what was going on. South enjoyed it, just her and Kansas. She was really starting to believe that she could make this work. That maybe tonight it was really that simple, but a few minutes in she remembered the door across the hall. It was only a few feet away. South could picture it with her back turned. The placard on every agent's door saying their state name scratched out and "C.T." written over it in black sharpie. She imagined the door and what was behind it and-- 

She tried not to care. She really did. Kansas started working on her bra clasps and she tried to pretend it wasn't there. She  _wanted_ this, but she felt the door staring at her. She felt it burn into her back. She couldn't do this. She pushed herself away and held Kansas at arm's length.

"I'm sorry, was I--" Kansas began.

"No, no" South said. "It's not" She looked at the ground. The door continued scorching her back, burning holes in her shoulder blades. "It's not you."

"Oh" Kansas replied no longer confused. "Connecticut?" she asked.

"Yeah" South answered. 

"It's okay, I get it" Kansas said.

South was suddenly angry. She didn't deserve such understanding. She wanted to violently shake Kansas.  _Why aren't you mad at me?_ she wanted to scream  _Why are you being so fucking nice?!,_ but she just stood there, useless.

Kansas walked back down the hall "Don't worry about it" she said. South watched her leave.

Instead of continuing to walk back to her own room after she turned out of the hall Kansas stopped and leaned against the wall. She stayed there for about a minute before peeking back around the corner. South was pacing like a caged tiger outside a door that was opposite to her own. Kansas watched her muttering things to herself, nothing that Kansas could hear from that distance, but she could tell that they certainly weren't nice things. Then when South's frustration seemed to have reached a boil she stopped in front of the door and held up her hand as if to knock. That was as far as she got. After a moment standing there frozen in place she sighed and her figure slouched. Disheartened she went into her room and closed the door behind her.

Kansas stood for a moment, contemplating what she just saw. Then with a huff she turned around and sulked back to her quarters. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, okay. I didn't mean for South/Kai to be a thing, but I was writing this chapter and it sort of grew a mind of it's own. Now I've got a really long chapter and an unexpected ship, but hey, as long as it works within the story and I'm happy with it.


End file.
